Prime Minister Scott Morrison has met with Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson to discuss concerns about high crime rates during a brief visit on Friday after saying earlier he had no time for the meeting.
Cr Paterson wrote to federal and Northern Territory leaders last month with an urgent plea for support amid what he called a "crime crisis" that had put the Central Australian community "at breaking point".
Speaking to ABC Alice Springs this morning, Mr Morrison said he would not have enough time to meet the Mayor.
"I would love to if I could. I'll be leaving [Alice Springs] very early this morning," Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison said Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt had already met Cr Paterson and announced more than $3 million for camp activities for young Indigenous people to learn about culture and mentorship programs to address youth crime.
Asked if culture camps were enough to make Alice Springs a safer place, Mr Morrison said he wanted to work with the NT government and referred to funding allocated to the territory government when he was treasurer.
But it turned out the Prime Minister was able to fit in a quick meeting with the Mayor, making a short visit to council chambers later in the morning.
"We discussed options and opportunities for council to work with the NT government and the federal government to come up with community solutions, but with all three tiers of government on the same path about solving this problem.
"The door is wide open is the feeling that I've got from the meeting."
Cr Paterson said he was working with a local "discourse group" that would put together community-led, practical solutions to crime issues and deliver these to all levels of government.
The mayor said he had not heard from Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese but had already spoken to Labor politicians Warren Snowdon, Marion Scrymgour, and Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
Funding for organisations
The Prime Minister was visiting Alice Springs to announce $21.9 million funding for an Indigenous leadership and governance package.
The package included $13.5 million for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), $6.7 million for the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) and $1.7 million for the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA).
On local ABC Radio Mr Morrison was asked questions on a range of other topics including poor vaccination rates in remote communities across the centre and Barkly.
In response to being asked about maintaining federal roads in the NT, and in particular the Stuart Highway, Mr Morrison said he would leave any questions about federal road funding to Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce who will visit Alice Springs on Monday.
The Prime Minister did not say whether he supported a Regional Cities deal with $150 million for Alice Springs, which had the backing of the NT's Labor Gunner government, just that the federal government would "keep talking to them [the NT government] about it".
Mr Morrison later responded to a question about whether the federal government would support the territory government with additional funding for derelict housing in remote communities, called for by Labor Member for Gwoja Chansey Paech this week, by pointing to the more than half a billion dollars previously provided.
"The Northern Territory government has to get on and do their job in this area," he said.
The Prime Minister left Alice Springs on Friday and travelled to Darwin where he announced funding for defence projects.
